Advances in digital photography have given us the opportunity to capture the beauty and freedom of birds in the wild like never before. In January 2011, the Wild Bird Trust set up a Facebook page with the intention of celebrating free flight and birds in the wild from around the world. Here are the “Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week” drawn from thousands of photographs submitted to the Wild Bird Trust. Almost 17,000 photographs from 100 photographers from around the world have been emailed to us or posted on our Facebook wall so far. Celebrate the freedom and splendor of birds in the wild with us and stimulate positive change by sharing how beautiful the birds of the world really are with the world…

Please join the Wild Bird Trust page on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to receive all wild bird photo updates and join the Wild Bird Revolution. Submit your own photos and become part of this important effort to bring the magic of wild birds to the world. Prepare to be blown away every week…

Yellow-billed hornbill with an amazing caterpillar. These hornbills have adapted to live in the harsh dry winters of the African subtropics... (Adam Kotze / Samantha & Adam Kotze Wildlife Photography)Fischer's lovebirds in Ndutu (Tanzania). They were originally discovered in the late 19th century and first bred in the United States in 1926 (Adam Riley / www.rockjumperbirding.com)Red-capped Robin-Chat are found in subtropical or tropical dry forests throughout Africa... (Ronald Krieger)Hamerkop striking pose. These amazing birds are able to build simply massive nest that remain for many, many years and are used by multiple species. (Adam Kotze / Samantha & Adam Kotze Wildlife Photography)King Penguin with their chicks in St Andrews Bay on South Georgia Island in the Antarctic. (Adam Riley / www.rockjumperbirding.com)Sanderling in Norway. They are circumpolar Arctic breeders that undertake long-distance migrations, wintering in South America, southern Europe, Africa, and Australia. (Geir Jensen)Baby thick-knee wobbling its way into the world... Please assist with ID. (Adam Kotze / Samantha & Adam Kotze Wildlife Photography)Black vulture is a "New World vulture" whose range extends from the southeastern United States to Central Chile and Uruguay in South America. (Maria Aleli Ruiz / https://www.facebook.com/AngaAleliMedia)Little bee-eater in perfect focus. These relatively common and widespread bee-eaters are expert hunters that have spread over a vast distributional range in subtropical Africa. (Ronald Krieger)Pied kingfishers have spread throughout Africa and Asia, mastering rivers, lakes, and coastlines. (Bart Hoffman)Male Ruff in summer breeding plumage in Inari (Finland) (Antero Topp)Little Crake spotted this month in the Clovelly wetlands. This is the first ever sighting in southern Africa! (Michele Nel)Grey heron faces up to crocodiles while stalking a small fish attracted to the melee of a nile crocodile feeding frenzy (Crocodile River, South Africa). (Leon Marais)

Green bee-eater in Yala National Park (Sri Lanka). Due to their wide distributional range and migrations several regional plumage variations are known and several subspecies have been named. (Adam Riley / www.rockjumperbirding.com)Common cranes flying in formation in Sweden. They breed in wetlands in northern parts of Europe and Asia. (Lennart Hessel)Cape Bulbul strikes a pose. They are an endemic resident breeder in coastal bush, open forest, gardens and fynbos in southern South Africa. (Michele Nel)A small of Cape parrots cavorting in a tree in King William's Town. After the first good rains in 2 years its looks like the beak and feather disease epidemic has burnt out... There are less than 1,000 Cape parrot remaining in the wild. (Rodnick Biljon)Ferruginous pygmy-owl in Patagonia (Argentina). They are also found as far north asin south-central Arizona in the USA. (Art Wolfe / Art Wolfe Stock)

Close-up of a giant kingfisher in the Kruger National Park (South Africa). They are the largest kingfishers in Africa and are residents in most of the continent south of the Sahara. (Kevin Hutchinson)Collared sunbird strikes a pose on a flower... These radiant sunbirds prefer forests. (Samantha Kotze / Samantha & Adam Kotze Wildlife Photography)Chestnut-mandibled toucan peering through the leaves in Colombia. They are resident breeders in moist lowland forest. (Art Wolfe / Art Wolfe Stock)Carmine Bee Eater photographed in the Unity State, South Sudan. (Sue-Leslie Norgate)White-fronted Plover is resident in much of Africa south of the Sahara on rocky, sandy or muddy coasts and large inland rivers and lakes. (Sharon Brink)Perfect pelican reflection in Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya) (Guy Dekelver / www.picsfromthewild.com)Western capercaillie during a mating display. A simply stunning bird. Although this species is declining in western Europe, it is not considered to be vulnerable due to the large population (global estimate is 15-40 million individuals) and slow rate of decline. (Lennart Hessel)

See the last “Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week” blog post on National Geographic News Watch:

The Wild Bird Trust was founded in South Africa in August 2009 with the primary objective of keeping birds safe in the wild. The trust aims to encourage the use of flagship endangered bird species as “ecosystem ambassadors” in their indigenous habitat. The trust focusses on linking ordinary people with conservation action in the field through innovative marketing campaigns and brand development. Saving Africa’s birds is going to take a determined effort from all of us.

The main aims and objectives of the Wild Bird Trust are to:

To advance the research in, education about and conservation of all birds in the wild as well as the related habitat.

Focus will be placed primarily on African species that act as ecosystem and biodiversity indicators although other species and geographical areas will be considered as well.

To work with all interested and involved parties including government, private sector, NGOs, education and research institutions, aviculture and bird-watching sectors without losing objectivity and independence.

In the pursuit of these aims and objectives the Wild Bird trust works closely with relevant local and international entities and persons, including: government authorities; educational institutions; conservation organizations; and avicultural organizations. The trust is funded entirely by its founder members, charitable donations and conservation grants.

[…] Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #9National GeographicAdvances in digital photography have given us the opportunity to capture the beauty and freedom of birds in the wild like never before. In January 2011, the Wild Bird Trust set up a Facebook page with the intention of celebrating free flight and birds … […]

Altaire Cambata

Lugano, Switzerland

April 6, 2012, 6:24 pm

Every week I am charmed and enlivened by the exotic birds posted to National Geographic and Facebook through the Wild Bird Trust. I understand that many of your photographs come randomly from submitters across the globe. I was hoping to offer a outlet for eager photographers by way of this comment; I currently write for environmental magazine Izilwane, a platform for discussing biodiversity loss. It would be fabulous to showcase some of your work in a photo essay on our website. Please see it here and contact me for more details if interested!

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